Cloud Temple, USA
by crazileigh
Summary: Cloud Temple School is the United States equivalent to Hogwarts, and Alexa Ruben is a completely normal girl. Or is she?


Lunch and a Letter 

This is my first Harry Potter fic, but it's one I've had in my head for a while now. Everyone be nice and review!

Summery: Cloud Temple School is the United States equivalent to Hogwarts, and Alexa Ruben is a completely normal girl. Or is she? 

            "Alexa! Time for Lunch!"

            Eleven-year-old Alexa Ruben rolled over on her bed, found her bookmark, and stuffed into the book she was reading. With a slight grunt, she jumped off the bed and clamored downstairs for lunch. 

            "Hey, Lexa," greeted her nine-year-old brother, Max. 

            "Groan," replied Alexa as she rolled her eyes at her younger brother.

            "Hey, you should be nice to me; I'm your favorite sibling."

            "Ironically, you're also my only sibling."

            "Max, could you please get the mail?" asked Alexa and Max's dad without looking up from his paper. As Alexa had once voiced it, her dad was the only person they knew who read the newspaper in the afternoon. 

            Max obediently went out to get the mail, and a moment later trotted back to the kitchen, as their mother placed plates of hotdogs on the table. "Here, Lexa, you got a letter."

            Alexa tore opened the letter and began to read it, then frowned. She abruptly whirled around and yelled at her brother, "Is this some kind of joke?"

            Max looked up, startled. "What?"

            She waved the letter in his face. "This isn't funny!" she yelled.

            "What are you talking about?" Max demanded angrily. "I didn't do anything."

            "Alexa Marie Ruben!" their mother cried. "Calm down."

            "Read the letter out loud," their dad suggested.

            Alexa took a deep breath and began to read. "Dear Miss Ruben. We are pleased to inform you that you have been accepted into Cloud Temple School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Should you choose to accept this offer, we will come to your house at promptly 11:00 on Tuesday, July 31 to assist you in purchasing your school supplies. Term begins on September 1. Sincerely, Professor Sunstar, Headmaster."

            She finished reading and looked up at her family, who were all staring at her with open mouths. Finally Max spoke. "There is no way I wrote that."

            Alexa took a long look at her brother, then nodded, believing him.

            Alexa's dad spoke. "I've never heard of this school." 

            Alexa nodded. "Me neither. But is says Witchcraft and Wizardry. That's what's really weird."

            Finally, Alexa's mom looked at the calendar. "Well, the 31st is only three days away. I suppose we should wait and find out what's going on then, all right?"

            Everyone nodded, and Alexa felt a little reassured. But only a little. 

---

            Three days later Alexa sat by the window, waiting for whoever was coming that day. In the letter it said 'Professor Sunstar,' but it also said 'we', implying that he was bringing people with him. There was a thud, and Alexa heard conversation coming from the living room, but she ignored it, keeping her attention back on the windowsill. Max scrambled in the room. "Go away, Max," Alexa ordered. "I'm waiting for them." She referred to whoever was coming as them, keeping it open-ended.

            "Uh, yeah," Max replied. "She's in the other room."

            Alexa looked up, startled. "Um, ok," she replied and followed her brother to the living room where her parents were waiting. Standing in front of the fireplace, calmly dusting himself off as though she did this every day, was a tall, regal-looking woman. She looked at Alexa. "Good morning, Miss Ruben."

            "Um, good morning?" Alexa offered. 

            "I am Professor Naxima, from Cloud Temple School."

            Alexa nodded. "I figured."

            Professor Naxima suddenly got very business-like. She turned toward Alexa's parents. "Would it be possible to speak to the three of you alone?" she asked very diplomatically.

            Her father nodded. "Max, go to your room," he ordered. Max opened his mouth to protest, then shut it as he thought better of it, and quietly left the room.

            Professor Naxima didn't say anything. Mr. Ruben finally said, "You said you wanted to talk?"

            "Oh I do," she reassured him. "But your son is still standing right outside the room, listening." As soon as she said this, Max's footsteps could be heard running away from the living room and up the stairs. 

Alexa's mom and dad stared at her. She shook her head and told them, "I'm going to tell you a bit about Monkfont, so that you can decide if your daughter will attend."

Mr. and Mrs. Ruben nodded and Professor Naxima began, "Living in complete harmony with non-magic people, are witches and wizards." Alexa nearly choked on absolutely nothing. "Cloud Temple is one of the best schools in America for educating such witches and wizards. It is a boarding school attended by students from eleven to eighteen years of age. Naturally, there are very few students accepted to Cloud Temple who have both non-magical parents, so this is a great honor for Miss Ruben. Students study all aspects of magic until their fifth year, when they select a particular field they wish to specialize in." She paused, and looked at the three of them, as though waiting for someone to say something. Which was probably not going to happen very soon. "I realize that this could be quite a shock for you, but if Alexa is going to attend, I must take her to meet the other Muggle students and buy her school supplies." It was the first time she referred to Alexa by her first name.

Finally Alexa spoke. "What's a Muggle?" 

"It's a more common term for a non-magical person," she replied. 

There was yet another long pause, until Alexa spoke again. "So, I'm a…a witch?"

"Well, yes. And once you get to Cloud Temple, you will understand how to use your powers."

Alexa's head was swimming until Alexa's father spoke up. "And what if she doesn't go?"

"Then the magical authorities will see that she will have no more knowledge of her powers," Professor Naxima promptly replied.

"So you'll wipe her memory out? Brainwash her?"

"Mike, calm down," Mrs. Ruben began.

"I will not calm down! This, this…_woman_ has just told us that my daughter is a _witch_! I'll not have any of it. A load of crap, that's what this is!"

Instead of retaliation, Professor Naxima simply raised her eyebrows, reached into her pocket, and pulled out a stick about a foot long. A wand, Alexa thought excitedly. That's got to be a magic wand. Professor Naxima raised her wand, then pointed it at the coffee table, with promptly turned into a cow. Alexa's mother screamed and jumped off the couch, while her father stared at the cow in shock. Professor Naxima raised her wand, and the cow turned back into a table, and she promptly disappeared. Alexa jumped up. No, she thought desperately. She can't be gone. 

Professor reappeared behind Mr. Ruben, and spoke, startling him. "A load of crap, hmm?"

Her father turned around. "So you just wanted to take advantage of our ignorance, did you?"

"Dad!" Alexa protested.  It was the first time she had spoken in a long time. "I want to go!"

            Total silence. Finally her mother spoke. "Are you sure, dear?"

            "Yes," Alexa replied firmly.

            "All right," Professor Naxima quickly stepped in. "She'll need a total of $75 to purchase her school supplies." She turned around to smile at Alexa. "And then we'll be off."

There it is! Very first chapter! Please be nice when you review, because this is my first fic. 

-Me


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